Bangladesh’s sacked coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has claimed that BCB president Faruque Ahmed made “premeditated allegations” against him, including one that accused him of physically attacking a player and another for breaching terms of his employment.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) terminated the contract of Hathurusinghe on October 17 and termed those “allegations”, while appointing Phil Simmons as an interim coach till the Champions Trophy in 2025.
Allegations Of Premeditation
In a statement to ESPNcricinfo, Hathurusinghe said that he believed the allegations had been orchestrated against him. He pointed out that on the very first day of Ahmed’s presidency, the president had published a statement to the effect of wanting to get rid of the head coach, hence triggering a possible financial collateral for the BCB. It was disturbing for Hathurusinghe that he got a “show cause notice” four hours ahead of taking office Simmons, even though he had 48 hours to respond.
Allegations Deets
The BCB suspended Hathurusinghe on October 15, accusing him of assaulting a player in the ODI World Cup 2023 and exceeding the number of leaves permissible. Hathurusinghe said back: “The thing is that at the time that this incident has been brought forth, the said young player did not go to the team manager and make a complaint. This makes me believe that all these things came about later after a YouTuber orchestrated the narrative.”.
He stated that the alleged incident took place in a monitored zone, causing controversy on why the player had not made it to the authorities immediately.
He also criticized the timing of the allegations as it took months for the narrative to appear.
Leave And Employment Issues
Hathurusinghe countered BCB’s claim that he spent too much time away, saying that he took 112 days off last year and 59 this year number even beyond the allowed contract of 45 days a year. He said that the leave was sanctioned by BCB executives ahead of time. Public holidays and other considerations were not taken into account by the new board members.
Security Issues And Loyalty To The Game
Hathurusinghe said he left the country to ensure security and was unclear how employees of the new administration were handled by BCB, which took over after a government reshuffle in August. He promised to clear himself and respond to all queries so that it was investigated. According to him, cricketing was his greatest passion.
“This is my second stint as the Bangladesh coach, having had my first stint between 2014 and 2017, and then returning in February 2023. I am committed to continuing to contribute positively to the sport that I love,” he said.
